Pendulum
by dragonsunlight
Summary: Her life was like a pendulum, always swinging from one side to another. As it continues to swing back and forth, Izumi wonders if she can take it anymore. Can a pendulum ever stop? Or will she remain unwanted forever? [KoujixIzumi] [FINISHED]
1. Center

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

Presenting…

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Pendulum

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Summary: Her life was like a pendulum, always swinging from one side to another. As it continues to swing back and forth, Izumi wonders if she can take it anymore. And then comes an unlikely savior. Can a pendulum ever stop? Or will she remain unwanted forever? Izumi finds the answer. (KoujixIzumi)

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Center

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Her shoe kicked at the dirt.

"Stupid Dad."

The grass flew inches into the air before landing back on the ground.

"Stupid Mom."

Her shoe kicked at the dirt again.

"Stupid adults."

Izumi pulled her hat down slightly, to shade her eyes as she looked up ahead. Her mother was probably worried she was out this late, but she found she didn't care. The heat of the summer had been getting to her. She needed to get out.

Her eyes fell on the small river to her left. Thigh-deep water simply sat there. There was a small current, if any. The sun was reflected in the water at its present position and so, much to Izumi's dismay, she couldn't glare at it without hurting her eyes.

The road to her right was growing busier by the moment. Izumi looked at it steadily, watching the cars drive past, wishing she were in an air conditioned car herself.

She began to head home.

Izumi gazed down at the grass below her feet as she walked after the cars that passed her. It was boring, and uncomfortable.

_Walking down a road in a dress and a hat_. _What kind of idiot do I look like_? Izumi shook her head and sighed. She bit her lip as she remembered something. _Idiots…huh? I should see them soon_.

But she didn't care right now.

Now.

The present…?

Izumi came to a stop and frowned. _How long have I been walking_? It felt like only minutes ago that she had been standing there in the grass, under the sun, grouchy from its heat. And now…

…_the park_. Her eyes fell on a tree. _I remember this_…

She had been here before, several times before. Once with her parents, when she was young; a few years ago, when her parents had confirmed their divorce; a few months after that, with _them_.

"It finished blooming," she observed, placing a hand on the fairly young cherry tree. The bark was rough under her skin, and she stroked it several times, gazing at it blankly, reminiscing.

"I _found_ you, Takuya, you _moron_," a boy growled, sounding irritated. "And you're lucky that all these _nice_ people are here to witness this!"

_Takuya_? Izumi looked around, then used the tree to shield herself. Her head peeked out and looked around, and she caught sight of the voices that sounded so familiar. _Kouji_…? _Kouichi_…_there's Tomoki, and he doesn't have his hat! Who…is…that? Oh, no wait. That's Junpei_. She smiled, watched Takuya fall to his knees.

"Come on, Kouji, _please_? I didn't mean to! Junpei dared me!"

"But _you_ accepted!" Kouji returned angrily. "You accepted after I _told_ you _not_ to."

"I said I was sorry!"

Kouichi let out a sigh. "Alright, alright…let's not kill each other here. Kouji, accept Takuya's apology and Takuya, don't tell anyone what you saw."

Takuya nodded with a smile. "Oh, don't worry, I won't. I'm a bit surprised, though." He looked at Kouji with a wide grin. "Do you really–"

The boy rolled his eyes. "No, of _course_ not," he drawled sarcastically. "I just have all those things because someone dumped them on me."

The goggle boy – rather, currently goggle-less boy – nodded. "So then, Kouji…?"

"Yeah?" Kouji sounded grumpy.

"If I were to…say…date her one day, would you hate me for it?"

The boy rolled his eyes again. "Do my preferences have priority over yours?" he snapped. "Do what you want. I don't plan on doing anything."

"What? Are you _serious_?" Takuya jumped to his feet, a frown on his face. "Hey, Kouichi! Convince that loser twin of yours to do something!"

"He's saying if she likes him she'll date him and if she doesn't, she won't," Kouichi translated.

"…Oh." Takuya scratched the back of his neck and let out a sheepish laugh. "Is that so?"

Tomoki tugged on Kouichi's sleeve now, looking impatient. "Can we _please_ go to the arcade?"

"YES!" Takuya jumped up in the air, throwing his fist up as well. He landed on both feet, then pointed towards Kouji. "Let's go to the arcade!"

"Sure, we can," Kouji said with a shrug, walking past Takuya.

"Well then why _aren't_ you going?" Takuya looked from Junpei to Kouji, then at Tomoki, and finally at Kouichi, looking absolutely lost.

"Takuya, the arcade is _that_ way," Junpei informed the younger boy, pointing behind Takuya.

Said boy waddled around 180 degrees, frowning as they followed Kouji's lead. "Hold it!" he snapped, running forward. "You all have to follow me!"

Izumi's eyes widened in realization. _I'm not ready,_ she realized, turning around and pressing her back against the tree. _I can't do this!_ Biting her lip, she turned and looked at the road to her right. If all went well, they would be too busy looking forward to notice her. She sent a hesitant glance to the left using her peripheral vision.

"…and then we _have_ to play that Sailor Venus game!" Tomoki insisted. "I know what you're thinking: it's a _girl's_ game, but it's really hard! Chiaki told Teppei to play it when he laughed when she lost, and he couldn't get past the first level! Even Katsuharu and Teruo managed to get to only level two!"

"What?" Junpei asked in disbelief. "That's impossible! I'll show you just how girly that game is!"

"It isn't, I'm telling you!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see," Kouji muttered, his gaze falling on the tree as he passed it. He frowned for a moment, seeing a girl with her back pressed against the trunk of the tree, her eyes darting from one side to another under her sun hat. _Could that be_…? His gaze fell on her, and he stopped walking altogether.

Their eyes met.

Izumi swallowed.

Kouji's mouth opened slightly.

Without warning, Takuya ran behind Kouji, then covered the bandana boy's eyes with his hands. "GUESS WHO?"

"Guess who's going to get beaten to a pulp?" Kouji hissed, pushing Takuya away. His frown deepened when he looked back at the tree.

She was gone.

He was pissed.

"Takuya," Kouji growled, looking at the boy with a sickeningly friendly smile on his face. "Guess what?"

Takuya swallowed. "I'm going to…uh…catch up on some lost exercise!" he announced, breaking into a run. "MEET YOU AT THE ARCADE!"

"TAKUYA, GET BACK HERE, YOU MORON!" Kouji snapped, running after the boy.

Izumi watched from behind the tree, watching the backs of her friends as they walked (or in the case of Takuya and Kouji, ran) to the arcade. Half her mind screamed for her to run after them, but the other half screamed not to.

She wasn't sure why she was so split on the matter.

Izumi stepped out from behind the tree once they were a decent distance away.

_Way to go_. _When will you get a chance to talk to them all together like that again?_

_Please, shut up_.

_You know you won't_.

_I will_. _Just you wait_. _I bet next week, they'll be here, doing the exact same thing!_

_Oh, do you know? Care to make a bet?_

_Since when do I make bets with myself_? Izumi shook her head. She felt dizzy, she realized, as she took a step forward. _I should go home_, Izumi decided, pulling the rim of the hat down slightly so as to cover her eyes as she walked home, head bent to let her stare morosely at the ground.

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"Mom…" Izumi bit her lip. She stepped back to stay outside of the threshold as a man passed her.

He stopped and glanced at her in surprise. "Izumi! Well, it's good to see you again," he greeted her warmly.

Oh, the things she could have said. Izumi nodded, trying to maintain a polite look as she nodded in acknowledgement. She waited a while longer, until he left, until he got into his car, until the roaring of his car's engine could not be heard. Then, Izumi entered, tossing off her shoes and putting on her slippers after slamming the door shut.

_I hate him, I hate her, I hate them, I hate him, I hate her, I hate them_, she chanted in her head as she entered the kitchen. "I'm back…"

"Izumi! You just missed dinner with us," her mother sighed, picking up two plates and heading over to the sink where she placed them down. "It's such a pity. You're always doing one thing or another. I really wish you would have time to eat with us…"

_I really wish you had time to listen to what I have to say_. _Although, that might take a few weeks, and I don't think I want to talk that long_. Izumi held her tongue.

"Here's your dinner." Her mother smiled at her and placed the plate of food on the table, behind a pair of chopsticks.

"M-Mom…" She bit her lip again. She was getting guilt-trapped, that's what it was. She wasn't such a sucker that she would fall for that smile.

Or…so she thought.

Her mother pushed her to her seat. "Come on, you haven't been eating dinner properly since you came back. I didn't tell you, but I talked to Shoichi before you came here from Italy, and he said that your middle school choice is perfect. In fact, it's one of the best around. So I called them up and got you registered yesterday. You'll be attending starting tomorrow."

"…oh." _She asks him, huh? I bet she doesn't even remember Dad went there. Of course it's a good school_.

"Of course, now that I think about it," the woman murmured, "your father went there too."

Izumi stared at her mother, then at her food. "I…I'm not that hungry," she began, but her mother shook her head.

"Eat, Izumi. I called your father yesterday to ask about your eating habits there. He said you did the same thing and you got sick. I can't have you getting sick, Izumi. Not like you did back in Italy."

"I wasn't _that_ sick, Mother. He exaggerated. He always does."

Her mother laughed. "Yes, well, I should know that, of all people."

Izumi took a bite. "Yes, you should," she agreed, smiling a little. She kind of felt better when she thought about it.

"Izumi…"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Do you really…want to be here?"

Izumi looked up, but by then, her mother was smiling again.

"Kidding! Did I get you?"

"Yeah." The girl forced a smile. Her stomach was doing barrel rolls again. "You did…" She rose to her feet and pushed her plate in. "I'm finished." Only a quarter of the food was gone.

Her mother nodded, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to protest. "Alright. Get lots of sleep…"

"I will," Izumi murmured, heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

The person in the mirror, she realized, as she brushed her teeth, was someone she didn't know before. Her hair was a dull blond, just past her shoulders, and her eyes were gray and tired, confirmed by the bags under her eyes. She looked old, tired, and…

_What am I thinking?_ Izumi turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water. When she looked up again, it was the same old her.

Regular eyes. Regular hair. Regular Izumi. Not old.

Everything was perfect. She could convince people of that. She was sure she could, anyway. Sure, her father was in Italy and her mother was here, and they were divorced, but she couldn't be happier. They both loved her; they both wanted her to be happy. She was going to the school she wanted to go to, she saw her friends, and she would see them again, and speak to them.

Everything was perfect.

Izumi fell onto her bed, lying on her stomach and looking to her right, where the window was. A deep blue light filtered through the blinds, cascading onto the floor of her room. She stared at it a while, watching the shadows of the leaves shift around on the floor.

Tomorrow was a new day.

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A/N-

Short first chapter. Sorry about ditching Misconceptions, but I need to redo chapter four and swish things around and that will take a while. My brain isn't in place and I've been itching to write something like _this _story. Happy thing is, I'm hoping it'll be finished in less than ten chapters and I _actually know where I'm going_!

I probably should have stated the time period in this chapter. They're in middle school so…two-ish years after the Digital World. Thus there will be OOC-ishness.

And yes, I _know_ Izumi's family probably isn't like that. Bear with me, would you? It's a _FAN_fic. I'd be much obliged if you were to overlook the fact that I know nothing of Izumi's family situation.

Ew. I think I saw subjunctives in this chapter. Yuck.

Next chapter should be up soon. As in less than a week soon. Summer break is a blessing.

Review or PM or Flame.


	2. To The Right

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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To The Right

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Izumi wiped her hands on the white cloth that served as a blouse. _I hate this school already_, she thought, staring down at her gray skirt distastefully. _Why do we need a sailor uniform? Those are so old_…

"Ms. Orimoto, if you would be so kind as to come in," she heard the teacher call out.

He sounded like he was in his forties. Izumi slid the door open and took a step in, her eyes focusing on the man in front of her. Indeed, as she imagined, he was a tall man with graying hair dressed in a brown suit. And glasses. He had glasses.

She detested teachers who wore glasses. It was so stereotypical, especially the rectangular framed ones.

Almost robotically, she turned to the rest of the class. "Orimoto Izumi." She began to wonder if there was anymore to say. She had more than thirty pairs of eyes stuck on her expectantly. She swallowed.

_More than thirty pairs_…

"HEY! It's Izumi!" a boy yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Thank you, Takuya, you're so insightful. Now sit down, moron."

Takuya scowled at the other boy. "Oh, because _you're not_ a moron?"

Kouji turned to him, looking bored. "Why, thank you. But I knew that from the beginning," he drawled.

"Takuya, back in your seat!" the teacher snapped.

With a scowl, Takuya fell back into his seat, banging his elbow on the desk in the process and hitting his funny bone. As he nursed his elbow with his other hand, he demanded, "Why aren't you yelling at Kouji?"

"Because he's in his _seat_," came the irritated response. "Ms. Orimoto, your seat will be behind Minamoto Kouji's…if he would stop trying to sleep and instead raise his hand, perhaps it would be easier to locate."

"Sorry, Moriguchi-sensei. I thought the fact that she knows me would be a good excuse to sleep," Kouji muttered, looking up. "After all, _you_ were the one who assigned the ten hour project yesterday that resulted in me pulling an all-nighter. Not Ueda-sensei. Not Takeda-sensei. You. Which is why we should all be able to catch up on lost sleep today in class."

Izumi quietly made her way to the desk behind Kouji's. _Moron_, she thought, placing her bag beside her desk. Her eyes scanned the room until they fell on Takuya a few rows away. More than anything, she wanted to talk to him, but…

…_oh, wait. Did he just ask me something_? Izumi blinked and looked to the front of the room. "What?"

The man maintained a calm, but tight smile. "As you currently don't have your books, would you mind stopping by after class to get them?"

"Oh…right." She nodded and looked at her desk. _Did they see me staring? It's a good thing the door is in his direction_, she thought, burying her head in her arms. _This is boring already_.

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Her eyes fell on Takuya, watching as a near crowd surrounded him, obstructing her view.

"Funny. I thought you were a bit more brighter than us."

Izumi jumped and turned to Kouji, staring at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I just thought you would have aimed for a better school."

"This _is_ a good school," Izumi insisted with a frown. "My father went here, too."

He snorted and turned around in his seat to look at her. "You know," Kouji murmured, "they all say that because in the past, it _was_ a good school. My dad went here too, you know. But anyone can get into this school without passing an exam, and so the school inherits a lot of morons. Teachers' expectations fall. Student performance falls. All that great stuff."

"Hm." Izumi laid her head sideways on the table, so her eyes were on Takuya again. She didn't care for the school, she didn't care for the system. She didn't even want to be here. At this time in Italy, she could have wormed her way around the rules into the office, or even simply stayed home on the call that she was sick. She knew she took her father's leniency for granted. If only her mother was as ignorant.

"Don't tell me the only reason you came here was because your father went here."

She bit the inside of her cheek from snapping at him. Izumi rose her head and frowned at Kouji. "I came here just because, okay? Whether my father went here or not doesn't matter. He just happened to have gone to the same school that I'm currently in, that's all."

"Jeez, Kouji, _already_ annoying her?" someone laughed.

"Sorry, Takuya. I didn't mean to steal your job," Kouji muttered. "If you need me, I'll be asleep."

"No, wait!" The boy shoved a paper in Kouji's face. "I need to copy this–"

"No."

Takuya bit his lower lip. "Come on, I'll do _anything_, Kouji!"

"Too bad I don't _want_ anything," Kouji snapped irritably, turning back around in his seat and leaning back. _Wait for it_…

The second boy fell to his knees. "I'll lend you my hand warmers?"

"No need. Kouichi picked up a few yesterday."

"Umbrella?"

Kouji shook his head. "Sorry, I hate umbrellas. They're weapons in disguise, and lousy weapons at that."

"Mittens?" Takuya was getting desperate now.

"What am I? A little furry feline?" He sent a piercing glare at Takuya. "I can _buy_ all these things, Takuya."

"I won't date her!"

"I thought Kouichi already translated. Plus you shouldn't be using girls in bribes, don't you think?"

"Sorry, sorry," Takuya said hastily, sending an apologetic look Izumi's way. She looked away, feigning disinterest while at the same time fighting the blush of fury that rose to her cheeks. "Alright, I'll get you that new guitar crap you wanted!"

"You don't have the money, forget it." Kouji picked up a magazine, opened it, covered his face with the magazine, and then leaned back until his head was rested on the chair. "Good night."

"I'll pay for your subscription to that lame magazine, then!" Takuya cried desperately, clasping his hands together and squishing his paper in the process.

"I don't know…"

"FOR A YEAR!"

"First bag, first folder to the front," Kouji said quickly.

"YES!" Takuya practically ripped Kouji's bag open, pushed the excess of folders back, then grabbed the first one out. He opened it eagerly, yanked out the first page, then closed the folder and used it as a hard surface while he copied the work. Izumi stared at him, as he was her only source of amusement at the moment.

"Takuya, may I inquire as to what you may be doing, searching through Kouji's belongings like that…?"

Takuya froze and looked up at Izumi, eyes wide. Her mouth opened, but he shook his head. "I…uh…"

"I let him," Kouji said, sounding bored.

"Y-yeah…"

Moriguchi-sensei snatched the papers from Takuya's hands. Kouji removed the magazine and sat up now, staring up at his teacher calmly.

"Kouji, you realize this would be considered cheating."

"What are you talking about?" Kouji scowled. "I'm simply letting him compare answers."

The teacher turned the papers so Kouji could see their contents. "Compare a blank paper? Nice try."

Kouji let out a sigh. "You haven't met Shinya, have you, Moriguchi-sensei?"

"Sorry?" The man frowned.

"Shinya Kanbara. Takuya's pesky little brother. So the kid likes to pull pranks every once in a while, at Takuya's expense. Not very often, just when Takuya actually bothers to do his homework. Takuya, with his lousy memory, can't remember half the answers he puts down on paper, so it always looks like he's cheating when he asks me for my homework." He leaned forward a little and snatched the papers from his teacher's hands. "You wouldn't be surprised to know not even _this_ jogs his memory."

There was a contemplative look on the old man's face. His eyes locked with Kouji, searching for a crack in the well-made façade. "Ms. Orimoto," he finally said, "you seem to have known these two scoundrels previous to today. Can you vouch for this?"

Izumi looked up in surprise. "S-sorry?"

"Is he telling the truth?"

She bit her lip. It was true, Takuya was a total airhead. She'd only met Shinya once, though, so she wasn't sure exactly _how_ mischievous the boy had become. He had the potential, though, so Izumi nodded, although somewhat hesitantly. "Yes…" She wanted to say more, but she couldn't trust herself to speak without saying something wrong.

There was a heavy silence before Moriguchi spoke again. "Very well," he said at last, nodding in approval. "However, Takuya, you and Kouji will be cleaning up the classroom after school the rest of this week."

"Fine with me," Kouji muttered, scowling somewhat. "But you didn't need to wake me up to decide all of this, did you?" His last comment went unnoticed by the teacher, who had made his way to the front of the classroom.

"Thank you, Izumi!" Takuya exclaimed, throwing his arms around Izumi.

She froze, staring at him in surprise. "Uh-uhm, right," Izumi murmured, looking the other way as he copied Kouji's homework. _What…what on earth was that?_ She tried to ignore the blush on her cheeks and decided to pass it off as Takuya stupidity.

It would be a long day, Izumi decided as Moriguchi called the attention of the class again. She rested her head on the desk, staring quietly at the door, then at Takuya, then at the door again. The things she wanted to tell them, the things she wanted to ask them–she doubted the words could ever come out of her mouth.

They were the same: Kouji was naturally keeping up his lone-wolf act, Takuya was the center of attention making the same silly mistakes. They were boys, Izumi reasoned. It would take more than an emotional hurricane to change their habits.

She smiled to herself and let her eyes shut. Slowly inhaling, Izumi pushed herself up and raised her hand. _Maybe, just maybe_, she thought, _I can manage to enjoy today_.

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"…And this is the math book. There. You're all set. Of course, I don't expect you to start on everything right away. I imagine you don't have a ride home…?"

"No, I walk," Izumi murmured, staring at the four books in her hand.

"That's okay. We walk in the same general direction," Kouji murmured, starting to erase his side of the chalkboard. He frowned, seeing Takuya begin to erase his side as quickly as possible, which resulted in an utter mess that Kouji realized he would have to fix later.

Izumi was about to protest when Takuya slammed down his eraser, setting dust into the air. "Yeah! It won't be too much of a problem! Unless…Kouichi ditched us."

Her mouth clamped shut. It wouldn't be so bad.

"No. He has clean-up this week," Kouji sighed.

"What, he got in trouble too?"

Kouji finished cleaning the rest of the board, then glared at Takuya. "What do you think, you nitwit? Unlike you, Kouichi doesn't get in trouble. He evades it in the nick of time. Other people get in trouble instead. No, it's just his turn."

"Don't forget the erasers, boys," Moriguchi-sensei chuckled.

Takuya pouted as he took both erasers in his hands. "Man, how do you clean these things?" he scowled, then began pounding the chalk-dusted sides together before anyone could stop him.

Izumi bit her lip and took several steps back as a cloud of white dust covered her teacher and the two boys, all three of whom began coughing. _I don't know_, she thought, mentally banging her head against a wall, _I think I should just leave right now_…

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"So if this school is apparently for morons," Izumi murmured as she walked beside Kouichi, "why are _you_ here?"

Kouichi stared at her in surprise. "Morons?" he repeated. "Who told you these lies?"

"Your _moron_ brother."

He let out a small laugh. "Oh, Kouji. Well, he's always been a pessimist. You can't change that."

"I'm right here," Kouji scowled, moving ahead of his brother. "Quick, make sure Takuya doesn't get ahead of you. That moron is trying to steal my wallet."

"Don't mind what he says," Kouichi continued. "It's a perfectly good school."

"But they don't let you wear goggles in class," Takuya muttered on a down note. "Real sad. I think my goggles go great with green!"

Izumi bit her lip. "No, Takuya, they don't," she told him, feeling her heart jump. There was a thrill running through her, she was so excited. A smile appeared on her lips.

Kouichi nodded sagely. "Yep. That's six against two now, Takuya."

"Six against two?" Izumi looked at the boy as she made her inquiry.

"Takuya and Shinya are the only two who think the goggles go with _any_ color–"

"EXCEPT BROWN!" Takuya yelled loudly, causing the two to flinch.

"And then you, me, Kouji, Junpei, Tomoki, and–"

Takuya quickly shoved the book he held into Kouichi's hands as he ran past the boy. "Thanks for reminding me, Kouichi!" he yelled, sticking his hand up in the air and waving as he ran ahead. "I'm going to be _late_…!"

"Again," the twins chorused. Kouichi let out a sigh.

"This is really pathetic. Are they dating yet?" Kouichi asked his brother.

Kouji shook his head and slowed to walk on the other side of his brother. "Something about waiting for the right time. He wanted to ask her last week, but Moriguchi decided to kill us all with that junk test."

"Oh, is that why?" Kouichi stopped and looked at Izumi, who had developed a deep frown as she overheard their conversation. "Your place is the same, right?"

"Y-yes!" Izumi shook the thoughts from her head and took the books from either boy. "I-I can manage from here!" Blushing slightly, she adjusted the books in her hand before walking ahead quickly and turning left.

Kouji snorted. "Well that was well-concealed jealousy."

"I'd say the same to you," Kouichi murmured, stretching his hands in the air as they both took a right turn to cross the street. "Bad topic to bring up, maybe?"

"Bring it up a bit more often," Kouji said instead. "I have a feeling she might to something stupid."

"Oh, good." Kouichi gazed up at the sky. "I thought I was the only one.

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Izumi looked at him in mild interest. She didn't imagine Takuya to be a morning person, and yet here he was, seven in the morning, standing by her desk and relating to her the story of Junpei and entrance exams.

"…and you should have SEEN how cranky he would get when we called him! He wouldn't come out of his room or anything!" Takuya blabbered away. "_Especially_ when he didn't get into _that_ school, whichever one it was. So last year, whenever someone asked me what middle school I wanted to go to, I told them, 'I don't want to be a brain-dead cranky crab! I'm going to _this_ one!" He jabbed a finger towards the ground when he finished.

"Odd thing is, everyone would ask him in sight of this school," Kouji muttered.

"Oy, Takuya, she's here!" someone yelled, and Takuya looked towards the door before running out.

Izumi stared in surprise before frowning in annoyance. "Huh."

"Ah, dammit, Kouji, he stole my seat again!" Kouichi walked in, whining as he did.

Kouji simply rolled his eyes. "Get used to it!" he snapped, a smirk on his lips as he tossed a magazine to his brother. "Guess who's paying for subscription for a year?"

"How did you _manage_ to pull _that_ off?" Kouichi opened the magazine with a sigh. "I ought to get a part-time job soon…"

"Mom would _never_ let you."

Kouichi flipped the page, a wistful look on his face. "Hey, a kid can dream…"

"Keep dreaming."

The older twin put down the magazine. "Speaking of dreams, I had an odd one."

Kouji automatically plugged his ears with his fingers. "Not listening."

"No, no! It wasn't like that! Come on, I have _one_ dream that's possibly perverted and you make a big deal and won't listen? I bet you have perverted dreams all the time!" he scowled.

"No," Kouji returned, an identical scowl on his lips. "I just _don't_ dream!"

"Liar."

"Would you like to make a bet?"

"You can just lie!" Kouichi snapped. "But you _have_ to! You're a boy for one, and you _do_ have a crush on–"

"Kouichi."

The older twin quieted. "I was going to say 'someone,'" he insisted quietly, not meeting Izumi's eyes. Being quite the gossip-listener, she had looked up.

"I'm sure." Kouji let out a sigh at the silence. "Fine, fine," he muttered, looking away. "I've had one dream."

"Well, it's better than none," Kouichi remarked, but he fell silent when his brother sent him a _listen-or-miss-it_ glare.

"You were a bunny hopping around in a desert. Then Junpei was dressed in a clown get-up, it was Tomoki's birthday, and Takuya was a professional singer, _without_ the professional voice."

Kouichi nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Polka dots?"

"Junpei?"

"Me."

"Oh." Kouji paused to think for a moment. "Right…yes. Yes, you did have polka dots."

"Izumi, stop laughing," Kouichi muttered, glaring at the innocent floor. But the girl continued to laugh, bending over and clutching her stomach with one hand while hitting the table every so often with her other fisted hand. He shot a glance at his brother, who merely smirked. "Bell's going to ring soon. Maybe I should bring him back."

Izumi's laughter quieted. Kouji shot his brother a knowing look. "He probably asked her to talk to him after school, huh?"

"You guys have clean up duty, though."

"So do you."

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "That's not what I mean," he snapped, heading for the door. "I'll talk to you later, Izumi! You'll walk with us after school, right? That's great!"

Izumi slowly pushed herself up in her seat. _I never said yes_, she thought, shooting the boy a look. Kouji was certainly rubbing off on him.

"What are you glaring at?"

"None of your business!" Izumi snapped, now directed her glare at Kouji. "What did you do to the nice, sweet Kouichi?"

Kouji doubled over and pretended to gag. "Sweet Kouichi?" he echoed. "When did the words ever go into a positive sentence together?"

The girl rolled her eyes at this. "So Takuya's…"

"If he wants to tell you, he will." Kouji straightened into a sitting position and looked to the front of the classroom. "Speak of the devil, there he is."

Takuya trudged into the classroom with a long face. "Kouji," he groaned, falling on the ground beside the boy's seat. "She doesn't have time after school today…"

"Neither do you, Mr. Mess," Kouji snapped.

"Not like you're Mr. Clean yourself," Takuya returned half-heartedly. "I guess I can wait for tomorrow…"

"You have Mr. Mess duty then, too."

Takuya bit his lip, then got on his knees. "PLEASE, Kouji!" he begged, clasping his hands together once more. "Cover for me after school tomorrow!"

"No." Kouji turned around and stared Izumi in the eyes for a moment, then looked at Takuya. How ignorant the supernatural forces must have been when they created Takuya, the most oblivious boy on the planet Earth. He supposed he wasn't helping, though.

"Just one day! I can't say I'll do _anything_, but just this once." Takuya swallowed, his voice low as he continued, "You _know_ how long I've been waiting for this…"

The other boy snorted. "A year. Do you know how long other people wait?"

"I'm not you, Kouji! I _can't_ wait! You _know_ that!" Takuya rose to his feet, a scowl on his face. "Forget you! I'll just ditch!"

Izumi felt cold. _Can't_…_wait_…?

"Have fun, Takuya," Kouji said, sounding bored as he watched Moriguchi walk in.

Takuya must have not. Several strings of obscenities came from his mouth that weren't truly obscene, save for the fact that Moriguchi was one of those old fashioned sticklers for decent language. And so the day started with Takuya getting a good talking to, and the rest of the class nearly falling asleep while listening.

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"Hey, I thought you were walking home with us."

Izumi stopped at the door. "I never said I was," she murmured, eyes slipping shut. "Kouichi simply assumed–"

"Just _walk_ with us," Takuya snapped.

She turned around in surprise. Izumi watched Takuya glare at the board as he erased it thoroughly. "Okay," she agreed in a small voice, staring at her shoes in uncertainty.

"I'm _do-one!_" Kouichi sang, hopping through the door. "And you guys are slo–"

Kouji quickly cut in. "Takuya is in a bad mood, don't start."

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Kouji, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing."

"Izumi, what did Kouji tell him?" Kouichi asked the girl instead.

Izumi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, anything. She had a thousand things to tell them that she hadn't been able to. That she missed them. That she was glad to be with them. That she enjoyed walking with them. That she wanted to see Tomoki and Junpei. That she missed Takuya. That she _loved_ Takuya.

But who was she kidding? He said it himself. He couldn't wait. If he had liked her, he didn't bother to wait. Maybe he never liked her. Maybe it was just a spring of hope that had leaked out from her imagination and made her drunk with belief.

She felt stupid. She _was_ stupid.

"I don't know," she responded glumly. "I'm going to head home. I think my mom said something about dinner with someone…" she lied. It was a stupid lie, and anyone could have caught her for it, but they let her go.

She was glad.

------------------------------------------------

"She didn't deserve that, you two morons," Kouichi scowled, shutting the door and leaning against the wall. "Takuya, what junk spewed from the mouth of that silly twin of mine?"

"Nothing," Takuya said heatedly. "Shut up. I'm going home."

"While you're at it, apologize to Izumi, would you?" Kouji murmured.

Takuya stopped at the door and turned around, glaring coldly at the boy. "I said I wouldn't, Kouji. Are you _trying_ to ruin my life?"

Kouji rose an eyebrow at the disappearing form of Takuya. _Well, whatever forces made Takuya the ignorant boy he is really did a good job_. _Still, I guess it makes sense_. He went back to erasing the already clean board. _If she were to catch him with an upset Izumi, that probably ruin his chances_.

"While we're at it," Kouichi suddenly said, snatching the eraser from his brother's hand. "Why don't we stop?"

The twins locked eyes.

Kouji blinked. Kouichi smirked.

"Come on. You know you can't beat me."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" he muttered, picking up his bag.

Kouichi dropped the eraser in its place and followed his brother out the door. "Come on. Since Takuya won't do anything, why don't we treat her to ice cream or something?" he suggested cheerfully. "I've been itching to get some all year…"

"You haven't eaten ice cream all year?" Kouji stared at his twin in disbelief.

The older twin threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know why! I've had this ramen mood so far, but now I need ice cream."

"So treat her to ice cream." Kouji gazed at his shoes now, contemplating things in his head.

"And you?"

Kouji let out a sigh. "I have kendo."

"Lousy excuse," Kouichi muttered, stopping and watching his brother walk off. He looked to his right to find Izumi sitting on the bench that was there, staring at her hands that were folded in her lap. "Izumi!" He jumped towards her, landing less than a foot away. "How about some…ice cream?"

She looked up and forced a smile. "Alright," Izumi murmured, rising to her feet and taking her bag in hand. "Why not?"

------------------------------------------------

"If you like him, you should talk to him," Kouichi said after the silence. They were sitting outside at a table with a parasol shielding them from the heat of the early autumn sun. He had devoured his ice cream within the first ten minutes of getting it, while Izumi took her time, half the time staring at it instead of eating it.

"I suppose," she whispered, staring at her ice cream.

He offered an easy smile. "It won't hurt to talk."

"I can't wait," she said dully.

Kouichi blinked.

"He said that today, Kouichi. 'I can't wait.' And you know, and Kouji knows, and I'm sure Junpei and Tomoki know he likes some other girl. What am I supposed to do about it?" Izumi spat bitterly, throwing her ice cream into the trash. It was all liquid and ruined; even in the shade, the heat was getting to her. _Only_ to her.

_He'll kill me, I'm sure he will_. Kouichi drew a breath.

"Change his mind."

Izumi was the one to blink now.

"Change his mind so he'll take you back. Flirt with him, talk to him, confess," Kouichi said, eyes set on Izumi's. "Don't let him say no."

Her mouth opened slightly.

Kouichi quickly rose to his feet. "Just some advice," he mumbled before shoved his hands in his pocket and heading off.

_Boy is Kouji going to kill me_…

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_Don't let him say no_. Izumi gazed up at her ceiling. _Don't let him say no_. _Can I do this?_ She bit her lip and turned over, covered her ears with her pillow to drown out the noise coming from the cracks in the doorframe.

She hated Shoichi laughing with her mother. She hated hearing them talk, hearing them have 'arguments,' hearing them laugh. She hated hearing them together.

Maybe it was because he was perfect and her father was not. She was angry she could not have been born into a family where she could have been loved, where her parents were together.

She hated herself for it. For not letting her parents be happy as they were. Only she knew how much she wanted to feign sickness, near death, _anything_ for them to get back together.

_I hate him, I hate her, I hate them_, she chanted over and over again, pulling the covers to her neck. _I hate him, I hate her, I hate them_.

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A/N-

NO OFFENSE TO BOYS INTENDED. If you don't know why I wrote this, that's okay, too. I've been reading around, and I've come across some interesting philosophies. I don't remember them, though. P

Thank you for the reviews: **A.R. Kennedy, LambSam, koyuki kimura**

Review or PM or Flame.


	3. Hit 1

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. Or Kouichi's hat. Or Takuya's goggles. But I thank _everything_ that I don't own Kouji's bandanas.

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Hit 1

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She loved mornings with her parents. Both of them would be too tired to say anything, to snap at each other, to talk. So she would sit there, eating her breakfast, with her father on one side, drinking coffee and trying to make out what the newspaper said through tired eyes, and her mother on the other side, eating her own breakfast.

It was peaceful.

Izumi understood well the rift between her parents. It had always been there, since she could remember. It came to her attention at first when she was five. Her parents had had a fight. A glass had broken. Her father was on the couch, distressed. Her mother was in the kitchen, crying. Izumi was in her room, peeping through the crack under the door, trying to make sense of what was going on.

It didn't make sense, even now. Of course, they had been fighting. They were upset with each other.

_But why?_ Izumi turned over in her bed, gazing lazily at the time.

_6:15_. _I should get up_.

She sat up automatically, despite the lingering warmth under her skin that urged her to go back to sleep.

_Don't let him say no_.

Kouichi's words had haunted her sleep. Not to mention Kouji's dream had haunted her sleep as well.

_Kouichi the purple polka dotted bunny hopped around the desert in search for Junpei, the clown_. _When he finally reached the clown's house, Kouichi discovered a note_. Izumi bit her lip, staring at her reflection in the mirror. _I don't remember what the note said_, she thought with a sigh, bending down and splashing her face with water. _I don't think I want to remember the dream, either_.

_Don't let him say no_.

Izumi looked up at the mirror with a start. "Don't let him say no," she repeated to herself.

Her gaze stuck to the mirror. That's _what's wrong_, Izumi realized, a finger falling on her lips. _I'm not smiling anymore_.

For a few seconds, she gazed at her reflection, stretching her lips sideways. But each time, it looked odd and forced. Izumi gave up and turned around with a sigh. _I will smile_. _And I _won't_ let him say no_, she told herself.

------------------------------------------------

She knew it would be awkward. She was dreading it herself, but she _wanted_ this to happen. It had to.

Izumi shut the locker and drew a long breath. _I will_, she thought, a flare of determination rushing through her. As she walked into the classroom, Izumi stopped.

They _still_ weren't talking.

Kouji was the same, reading his magazine, fingers pointing at the pieces he wanted as if to show an invisible person. His eyes fell on Izumi as she entered, then returned to the paper. For a brief moment, Kouji looked as if he wanted to tell her something, but shut his eyes instead.

Takuya, usually surrounded with three or four other boys, was sitting alone, glaring at the eraser he was tossing back and forth across the table.

A sigh left her lips as she dropped her bag beside her desk. _What to do_? Her feet dragged her slowly over to Takuya.

"T-Takuya…"

"Ah…hey, Izumi." He looked up at her, but his foul mood didn't improve. Izumi felt discouraged already.

"Do you…uh…d-do you want to get some ice cream after school?" she asked, dropping into the empty seat in front of him.

He let out a long sigh and shook his head. "I won't be here after school."

"U-um…but don't you have clean up?"

"About that…yeah…I'm ditching just after lunch."

Izumi blinked. "D-ditching?"

Takuya nodded and stretching his arms into the air with a yawn. "Yep. I figured it out. There's no way Kouji's going to cover me, so I'm just going to get out right after lunch. Hey, Izumi, you might want to get back to your seat. Moriguchi's coming in."

"Right," Izumi murmured, turning around before the smile faded from her face. She rose to her feet and walked back to her seat, falling into it and laying her head on her desk. _Skipping school_…_would he have skipped school…for me? Ever?_ Izumi hid her eyes behind her arm. She wouldn't cry.

But just in case…

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"Is…she okay?" Kouichi asked, frowning at Izumi. The girl was fast asleep, and it was only lunch.

Kouji shrugged. "Well, I won't ask what crap you said…"

The older twin let out a small laugh. "The word isn't even in my vocabulary."

"What _is?_"

"Ouch." Kouichi shrugged. "But he's ditching after lunch. Be prepared to clean the class yourself."

"I don't care."

The twins locked eyes. Finally, Kouichi sighed. "Okay, I told her to go after him if she really wanted to," he confessed.

Kouji rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

"You sure you want to say nothing?"

There was a brief silence that passed before Kouji rose to his feet. "Takuya can tell her himself. It won't get through her head any other way."

"You two are pretty ruthless…"

The younger boy managed a crooked smile. "Welcome to the real world."

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She didn't want to see him leave, but she woke up just as Takuya rose his hand. Izumi gazed at him, blinking slowly and stupidly as Takuya waved his hand around in distress. She moved her arm in front of her eyes, wiping them.

The boy didn't give up even as his teacher shot him a glare and turned to the blackboard. "Moriguchi-sensei, I'm u-uhh…n-not feeling that well," Takuya lied, his other hand falling over his stomach. He bent forward and stuck his tongue out. "I think…it was…something I ate…"

The man looked at Takuya and sighed, realizing there was no way he could win. "Very well," he said grudgingly, "go to the office, Takuya. Maybe after catching up on your sleep you'll come back to class prepared to discuss what you read last night."

Takuya flashed a smile as he stood up and made his way to the door. Yet as he did, he muttered aloud to himself, "Discuss what I read? We read last night?"

Many rolled their eyes. Kouji just snorted.

"Leaving his things behind too. He should ditch more often," Kouji muttered. "All the things I could hold for ransom…"

Izumi sat up. Her life felt as if it were flashing before her eyes. Her only chance to stop Takuya…

…was now.

Her hand shot up into the air. "U-uhm…Moriguchi-sensei, I…I…I have to go to the bathroom!" she blurted.

Kouji's forehead met his desk. "What an excuse," he whispered under his breath. "The world is _brilliant_ today…"

She ignored him and looked up at her teacher pleadingly.

The man placed the chalk down on his desk. "Alright, Izumi. Go ahead. The rest of you, open your books and actually do the reading!"

Izumi dashed out of the room without another thought.

------------------------------------------------

Takuya, true to his word, was briskly walking towards the exit of the school, careful to avoid the PE classes that were out. He felt a thrill of excitement run through him.

"Ha, ha…won't Shinya be jealous?" he snickered to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just like in the movies…heh. The guy gets kicked out of school. No one bothers him."

"Takuya…!"

Or not.

He turned around with a frown on his face. _Izumi?_ "Izumi, what are you…doing?" Takuya raised an eyebrow, tilted his head to the side, giving her a funny look. She was out of breath, there was a worried look on her face. It didn't bode well for him.

Izumi swallowed, then stood up straight, looking Takuya in the eyes. "I won't let you."

His mouth parted of its own accord. "H-huh?"

"I'm not going to let you go, Takuya."

_Oh. Crap_. Takuya sucked in air through his teeth and swallowed. "Izumi, tell me you're kidding." The smile vanished from his lips.

"No."

He looked at her calmly. "Why?"

The girl looked at him nervously. "Why?" she repeated. "Well…I…" As she stuttered, her eyes shyly fell to look at the ground. "You see, Takuya," Izumi murmured warmly, "I…"

"Don't even finish, Izumi. You can't," Takuya murmured in a low voice. "I don't think you understand the situation. I know, we haven't had a chance to talk. I know, we don't really know what's going on in each other's lives. But let's get this straight." He turned around. "I don't mean to hurt you when I say this, but I'm not interested. I don't love you the same way, Izumi. You can't change my mind." He stood there a while longer, awaiting an answer.

Izumi was lost for words. They wouldn't come into her head. They wouldn't come out of her throat. Instead, she took a step back, nodded, then turned around and ran.

Takuya shot a look over his shoulder, watching her retreating form. _Your turn, Kouji_, he thought, averting his gaze to the sky. "It's going to rain. I _knew_ I should have brought my umbrella today," he muttered, trudging forward.

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Izumi didn't go back to class. The hunger pangs that were supposed to invade her stomach during lunch came back with a vengeance, and so she spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office. Someone brought her bag to her, so she sat on the bed, picking at her food until after school, when she dully explained her situation to Moriguchi.

The showers had come to stay while Izumi was in the nurse's office. The ground was thoroughly soaked. She didn't have an umbrella. She didn't want one.

Izumi pulled the collar of her blue jacket closer to her chin. _At least_…_he didn't say no_. _He said not_. _He said don't_. _Not no_…

_That's denial right there_, a small voice in her head complained. _This is what's wrong with you_!

_Why didn't he wait?_ Izumi winced as she stepped out into the rain. _Why? Why didn't he tell me?_ She swallowed, made a small sound as a rather heavy raindrop hit her head. "Why didn't you wait, Takuya? Why can't you just explain…"

"_Takuya_…"

Izumi stopped and turned to look at the speaker, immediately looking away. _Don't look_. _Don't even think about it, Izumi! Forget him_, she told herself, breaking into a run. _I hate him_. _Why didn't he_…

The rain didn't matter. She was crying, anyway.

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Kouji watched the droplets fall, one by one, trying to watch them all, even though he knew it was impossible. He liked the rain; at least, he liked watching the rain from inside a warm, cozy room, free from the wetness. He liked how it distracted him from whatever he was doing, be it sleep, homework, He felt compelled to think. He felt calm. He felt as if the only worry was how to occupy himself in the gray weather the rain brought. He never worried when it rained.

Never worried. That's why he liked the rain. He never had to worry.

_So why now?_ Kouji scowled, setting down his water bottle. _Stupid Takuya_. _You could have given her the news nice and easy, but no – you _had _to throw it at her at once_. _Moron_. _Knowing them, I should have known they would do something stupid_. _Kouichi did_. _Takuya did_. _Next thing I know, I'll find out on the news tonight that Izumi fell down a well and got hospitalized_. His scowl deepened at the thought.

Because Kouji wouldn't admit it, but the last thing he wanted was for her to do something stupid. Because he expected better from her.

She was different, the Izumi he remembered. Always smiling, always ready with a retort, always having a good time…

…the only question was whether or not she had changed as much as he expected.

"Fresh air," he muttered, pushing the door open and resting against it. His eyes focused on the droplets that clung to the overhanging rooftop, despite the blur of blond that rushed past him. "So he finally told you." Statement, not question.

Izumi's rushed footsteps stopped.

"Home is the other way for you, isn't it?" he continued calmly. "That's not like you, Izumi." Kouji pulled his eyes away from the raindrops to let them fall on the soaked Izumi. Startled, his first instinct was to reach for the towel that was just a reach away and hold it out to her. "You didn't even bring an umbrella…!" he muttered in disbelief.

She pushed his hand away. "Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

"You think it's _my_ business to tell you what Takuya's been up to? For how long have you been back, Izumi? Have you even _tried_ talking to him? Asking him anything? It's your own problem, not mine." He threw the towel at her.

She deflected it, and it fell to the floor. "Then tell me _why_?"

"Why?" he echoed, picking up the towel and dusting it off. Kouji eyed it with distaste as he tossed it back inside. "They got to know each other while you were gone." He shrugged. "Don't ask me the why."

"No! Why didn't he _wait_?" she screamed.

Kouji looked at her in surprise. For a long moment, all he could do was stare, because the words couldn't form, wouldn't form. And because he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of yelling again. "Are you…" He bit his lip and shook his head.

"Why…?"

"Because," Kouji returned, just as softly. "Because maybe to him it wasn't always about you. I guess people do that sometimes." He began to wonder if he should shrug – it seemed heartless at the moment.

"What…what does he see in her?"

"Sorry?" Kouji looked at her in surprise.

"What's so different between me, and that…that…"

"_Don't_ say that, Izumi."

She looked up.

"Don't. If you do, _that_ will be what sets you two apart," Kouji murmured. It was clear to him now. Nothing seemed to want to go his way. His gaze fell on the raindrops that were reducing themselves from a shower, to a sprinkle, to a soft pitter-patter from the drops that were sliding down from the roof. "Think about it, Izumi. Don't just jump to conclusions."

She was already gone.

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The walk home was longer than she expected. Maybe she was just dragging her feet too much. It wasn't helping the burden.

_What burden_? Izumi asked herself bitterly. She slipped off her shoes and put on her slippers, glaring murderously at the duck shapes over her toes.

"Izumi…!"

The girl looked up slowly and blanched at the sight of the man whose hands were on the shoulders of her mother. "Mmm…" She didn't trust herself to speak right now. She didn't even _want_ to speak right now.

She didn't want to _be_ here right now.

What she wanted, more than anything, was that mother who would sit down with her, comfort her, talk about anything and everything with her. She wanted the mother she could confide in.

All she had…

Izumi took a step back, slipping her feet out and back into her shoes.

Her well being…threatened? She felt threatened. She felt forced to become an introverted…_whatever_. She hated holing it up inside. She couldn't even say how much she hated that man.

"I'm…going…out," she managed to mumble before whisking around, bolting out the door and down the steps, not even pausing to look behind her to see what her mom was doing, not even bothering to close the door. She couldn't hear anything, so even if they called her name, it didn't matter.

Izumi winced as she turned sharply to the left, weaving between people. For some reason, she felt as if someone had tried to throw her against a wall.

It hurt. She hurt. Everything hurt.

Her head, her body, her heart.

This wasn't what a bit of disappointment would do. This was devastation.

She was devastated. Izumi let out a cry as she bumped into someone and fell on the ground. _Who–_ She gave a start when she looked up.

"Ah…speak of the devil…" he muttered, holding out a free hand and adjusting the bag in his other hand, twisting it and bringing it over his back.

Izumi stared at it; she felt frozen with him. Or maybe they were moving and it was everyone else who was frozen. She didn't know.

All she knew was she found someone to confide in.

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A/N-

Yes. Izumi took her time walking home. Slow walker.

I can't say I liked this chapter. Takuya was serious. It made me sad. The tears start pouring right now (I'm talking about being sad because Takuya was serious, not because Izumi got rejected, just to clarify. Yeah, apparently I'm pretty heartless).

Thank you for the reviews: **koyuki kimura, LambSam, TrialAndError123456, Syra Dylan**

I'm a bit behind on things. Oopsies?

Review or PM or Flame, and I'll try and catch up in the meantime!


	4. To The Left

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. Or Kouichi's hat. Or Takuya's goggles. But I thank _everything_ that I don't own Kouji's bandanas.

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To The Left

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He pushed the cup of hot chocolate her way. "You _will_ drink this, even if I have to make you," Kouji ordered quietly. He had managed to drag her into the nearest café, and get her to sit across from him at a table in the back after he had bought her a hot chocolate.

Izumi took at it, stared at it. When he cleared his throat, she obligingly took a sip, then set it down on the table again. She looked up.

He was smiling. "Good. I expect all of it to be gone by the time we leave."

The girl nodded slowly. "Okay."

"It's pretty cold today," Kouji sighed, looking out the window. "It's such a pain to look at gray. I get bored easily. We might as well start hibernating like bears."

Izumi shrugged as she took another drink from her hot chocolate.

"What?" Kouji's eyes were focused on her now, a frown had fallen onto his face. "You don't like the rain?"

"I…don't really care." She stared at her drink, then back up at Kouji. "Why are we here?"

"So you don't die from the cold?" Kouji shrugged. "You tell me why."

"But _I'm_ the one who wants to know why."

He laughed at this, much to Izumi's annoyance. Then, holding up two fingers, Kouji told her, "It takes at least two people to make things happen. Whether it's you and your conscience, you and someone else, or someone else and another someone else. I may have invited you, but that's only half the story; why did you _accept_?" Seeing a contemplative look on her face, Kouji nodded. "There you go."

"Fine." Izumi looked at her hot chocolate again. "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"I'm not going to ask you anything. You can talk if you want." He shrugged. _She's really out of it_. "I'm just here to make sure you finish your drink." That said, Kouji looked at her expectantly.

Izumi stared at her cup. A sigh escaped her as she rose the cup to her lips and downed the rest of the liquid. Finished, she set the cup down gently on the table and looked at him.

"Will you listen?"

He shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

_Not what I want to hear, but it works_. "You know…my parents are divorced."

Kouji snorted, looked away as he swallowed his laughter.

"That's not funny!" Izumi insisted, sending him a glare.

"I know, but you make it sound…so…" He tried to cough to mask his laughter.

_That's right_…_his parents are divorced, too_. Izumi looked at the white top of the table. "Oh…"

"No, no, sorry. It's an entirely different situation." Kouji cleared his throat and motioned for her to continue.

Izumi continued staring at the table. "Well, before I left for Italy, she had started to see someone. I thought when I left that it wasn't going to last so long, but…" She drew a breath, and looked out the window, eyes searching for a patch of blue peeking out from behind the heavy gray clouds. "…they're still together."

"You make it sound like she's cheating on you."

"W-well, I'm her daughter!" Izumi insisted.

"She's your mom." Kouji shrugged. "She's entitled to her own happiness."

Izumi let out a frustrated sigh. "That's _not_ the point!"

"I fail to see a point."

"Well, what did _you_ think when your dad remarried?"

Kouji let out a chuckle here, and looked to the ceiling. "Yeah. About that: I was told my mom was _dead_. That's a big difference there."

"But you didn't like her!"

"She wasn't my mom. I didn't have to." He shrugged. "I didn't hate her either. I just didn't care." _Oops. She might catch me for a lie somewhere there_, Kouji realized, trying to keep his face.

But Izumi sat back in her seat, looking defeated. "Well I don't like him."

"You won't like anyone your mom might choose as a potential new husband. Why? Because you feel left out. Well, think about this, Izumi: have you even _told_ your mother how you feel? Perhaps she understands, perhaps not. It's kind of hard to tell when all you're doing is lazing around the house being apathetic. Not even _I_ do that anymore." He scowled. "Are all girls so troublesome when it comes to their parents getting remarried?"

Izumi shrugged. "I'm only one girl. Don't ask me!"

_Aaaah_, _the _pain! _She's really out of it._ Kouji shook his head. "Well, continue."

"She always talks about him. It's never reminiscing about my dad, not even about me! It's _always_ about him!" Izumi muttered, glaring at the table now. "I hate him!"

"You're being a brat about this."

"What are you–"

"Your mom needs a life too, Izumi," Kouji murmured. "I'm not saying she's _bored_ with you – but everyone has boring moments together. Even me and Kouichi.

"Your problem is that you're too focused on hating the guy rather than spending what time you have with your mom doing fun things. Like…what do you people do? Shop?" He shrugged. "Stop giving her a chance to talk to him. Just spend fun time with her." Kouji threw his hands in the air. "Don't give me that look! I don't know what girls do!"

Izumi rolled her eyes. "But she talks about him even then!" she insisted.

"And like _I_ said, you're being a _brat_ about it." He rose to his feet. "Just…don't give her a chance to talk about him."

"But –"

"Quiet," he muttered, leaning forward until his head was centimeters from her own. Kouji stared down at the cup and nodded. "Well, you finished."

"Okay, but–"

Kouji looked at her and leaned in slightly, pressing their lips together. "Please, Izumi, just drop it," he murmured, pushing back and slinging his bag onto his shoulder. "I'm heading back now. Go straight home."

Izumi just stared as he left.

------------------------------------------------

_Why? Why?_ She hated the word. _BUT WHY?_ Izumi threw her pillow across the room.

_Takuya_ had dumped her for good.

_Her own mother_ was too busy with her own boyfriend.

_Kouji_ –

She didn't want to remember. Izumi shut her eyes and pulled the covers of her bed over her head as she let out a groan. _It was a mistake_. _Right?_ _Or my imagination!_ _I have a disgusting imagination!_ _WHY?_ Izumi threw the covers off and stood up. "I need dinner," she decided. The lack of food in her stomach was causing her to hallucinate.

She made her way to the kitchen and stopped. Shoichi was still her, talking quietly to her mother.

In the kitchen. Where there was food.

Izumi stopped outside, held as still as possible.

"…I don't know, Shoichi. You know I'd love to, but Izumi…"

"No, no, I understand. It isn't the best news to her. It's fine."

"It's a beautiful ring," her mother whispered, but Izumi heard.

Shoichi laughed softly. "Just like the person who's supposed to wear it."

"I can't."

"I know." Another laugh from Shoichi. "Maybe one day Izumi will let me hog you a bit more."

Izumi retreated, ever so slowly, back to her room, trying to swallow all she had heard.

A proposal? What else would a ring mean? The girl threw herself onto her bed, face buried into her pillow. _'A potential new husband_,' _huh_…? A shaky sigh escaped her, and she sat up, reaching for the phone.

Shibuya…didn't want her back. That was clear.

"Daddy?" Izumi whispered, pressing the phone against her ear. "I want to go back…"

------------------------------------------------

"Yo."

Izumi nodded, ignored Takuya – it was mutual ignoring, anyway. Kouji frowned.

"Well…? As you were saying?" he snapped at Takuya.

The goggle boy managed a grin. "N-nah…I'm–"

"Don't be a moron. You start something, you finish it," Kouji snapped, sending him a cold glare.

"I'll tell you later," Takuya mumbled, turning around and sulking back to his seat.

"Forget it! I don't want to hear!" Scowling, Kouji picked up his magazine. "So? Did you two talk or what?"

Izumi jumped in her seat. "What?"

"Did. You. Talk. With. Your. Mother?"

"Oh…no. Not really."

"'Not really'?" he echoed.

She shifted uncomfortably and murmured, "We talked a bit…I guess."

"That's good."

_Not really_. _It was just the usual, 'good morning' and 'have a nice day'_. Izumi smiled crookedly, feeling her eyes sting. _It still_…_hurts_.

"What happened?"

She sniffed. "What are you talking about?"

"I can hear you crying pretty well from here," Kouji murmured, flipping the page of his magazine. "So?"

"It's…nothing…" The tears began to fall, crashing onto her desk. She hated it. Her sleeves would always get soggy – if they didn't, then her papers would.

Kouji let out an exasperated sigh. "I give up on you people," he muttered, loudly putting the magazine down on his table and turning around. "What is it? Takuya? Kouichi? Me? Not having seen Tomoki and Junpei? Lying about talking to your mom? That guy? Or–"

"Forget it," Izumi croaked, looked up and shaking her head. "Just forget it."

"But _you're_ crying, _you're_ behind me, and it's _annoying_."

She let out another sniff and looked up to glare at him through blurry eyes. "I'm _sorry_!"

"Liar."

"Minamoto! Stop making the girl cry!" someone laughed.

"SHUT UP," Izumi and Kouji snapped, though Izumi's yell wavered more than Kouji's.

"Damn, you two are more of twins than–"

Someone grumbled. "Hurry up and shut up, Takei."

Takei made a face at Takuya. "Yeah, yeah…"

"So?" Kouji asked her quietly, leaning forward to rest his arms on her desk. "Izumi…!"

"Settle down, class!" Moriguchi walked into the room, and Kouji turned around with a scowl. The entire class slowly fell silent, save for Izumi's quiet sobbing. Startled, the teacher looked up. "Ah…Izumi…?"

The girl mumbled something, and Kouji let out an irritated growl. "She says she's fine," he translated, scowling and looking to the side. In a quiet voice, he hissed to Izumi, "Hurry up and stop, would you? We can talk later."

"I-I got something in my eyes," Izumi managed through a sniff. "Can I go to the bathroom and wash it out?"

"O-of course," Moriguchi mumbled, raising one eyebrow and shooting the class a confused look as Izumi rushed out.

Kouji let his head fall on his desk. _Fine my bandanas_.

------------------------------------------------

"No, don't go," Kouji ordered, grabbing a hold of her arm when she stood up, ready to leave.

Izumi looked at her feet, shooting a look at Takuya out of the corner of her eyes. "But…"

The boy let out a sigh and shook his head. "Takuya's going to ditch again. Apparently he thinks he can take advantage of my not saying a word, so I'll just write it plain and clear. Moriguchi has a meeting – but he's coming back to the classroom to grade papers, and then he's leaving. We have time until then. You sit down. I'll clean up. We'll talk."

As if on cue, Moriguchi left the room, and Takuya snickered. "Well, well! I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Kouji!" he laughed, walking out of the room.

"Don't worry, you'll be getting your surprise too, moron," Kouji muttered, going straight to the chalkboard. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Izumi said, voice quiet, tired. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying she'd done – she must have spent at least half a day in the bathroom and used up a whole tissue box.

"Keep saying that, Izumi. But 'nothing' didn't happen. _Something_ happened. What was this _something_ that _did_ happen?" Kouji asked, placing down the erasers, having finished cleaning the board. He took a piece of chalk in his hand. "Or are you just going to keep lying?"

Izumi let out a sigh and leaned forward. "I'm _not_ lying," she insisted. "I just don't know…I don't…I…" She looked up. "What are you doing?"

"Giving Takuya his surprise." Kouji put down the chalk and looked up, content. On the board, he had written large enough so that even Izumi in the back could see.

"'Takuya, do your share,'" Izumi read slowly, with a frown. "That's not going to do much, you know."

Kouji shrugged. "I'm not going to erase it." He walked over to her, sat down in his seat. "Now tell me. Who said what? Who did what? What happened?"

"It's _nothing_," Izumi insisted, standing up and frowning down at him.

"Well if that's not a lie, then why the hell are you _crying_?" Kouji snapped, standing up and slamming his hands down on her desk.

She picked up her bag and made her way to the door. "I _told_ you it's nothing, so why won't you just believe me?"

"Because I'm _not_ stupid enough to believe in a lie!"

"Well too bad!"

Kouji let out a frustrated growl. "Is it really our fault, Izumi? You won't talk to us about _anything_. You _know_ our numbers – heck, if you forgot, you could just _ask_ us! You won't ask us, you won't _answer_ us – what do you _want?_ _You're_ the one pushing yourself away from everyone!" he shouted.

Izumi stopped at the door, startled. "I…" _I don't care! I don't need to confide in you. I never wanted to talk to you. You forced me into this! I hate you_…

"I _hate_ you," she whispered, breaking into a run.

The boy winced and turned around, leaning forward and placing his hands on his desk for support. _I hate cleaning this stupid classroom_…_who the hell makes it so dirty_?

------------------------------------------------

"It _isn't_ my fault!" he snapped, exasperated. Even for an older brother (by minutes), Kouichi was pushing it. "What would _you_ have done?"

"I'd have…say, weren't the rains yesterday strange? Summer storms already…? Makes me want to eat something cold today…"

"Today is the same as yesterday," Kouji grumbled. "Gray. Gray. And Gray. Stop changing the subject."

Kouichi shrugged. "I'm getting some ice cream. You want some?"

"No, I have to call a moody girl and apologize," Kouji snapped. "I'll wait at that table," he muttered, pointing to a table just outside the shop. "And _don't_ get me an ice cream!" he added, but Kouichi was already inside the shop.

Kouji slumped down into his seat and dropped his bag on the floor. _Izumi's number…Izumi's number_…_there_. He pressed the call button and placed the phone near his ear. _Ring_. _Ring_. _STOP WITH THE RINGING!_ "Hello…?" he mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Yes…?"

"Um…Mrs. Orimoto? Is Izumi there? This is…Kouji," the boy murmured, sitting up. _Suddenly I figure I could just ask her mom what's going on_. _Heck, I wonder if she still remembers me_.

"Sorry, but Izumi hasn't come home yet," she returned with a sigh. "You'll have to call back…"

"She hasn't come home?" Kouji repeated, rising to his feet. _You're kidding_. _Why isn't she home? Where else_…?

"Is…something…"

He hung up and pocketed his cell phone just as Kouji came back, two cones in hand.

"Hey…! I got you ice cream –"

"I didn't _tell_ you to get me any!" Kouji snapped, nearly tripping over his bag. "I've got to go somewhere, so _don't_ forget to take my stuff home!"

"Haaah…? I wasted money on you again," Kouichi sighed, looking at the two cones in hand. "Oh well…"

"Kouichi!"

"What?" the older boy snapped in return.

"Don't. Forget. My. Stuff!"

Kouichi waved (or attempted to) a cone at him. "Yeah, yeah, just go! Tell Izumi I said hi," he grumbled.

_Moron_. Kouji broke into a run. _Damn it_, _Izumi! Where the hell did you go?_

He really hated it when she did this.

------------------------------------------------

Even for a late summer day, it was strangely cold. Even for a late summer day, it was strangely dark. Even for a late summer day, it was strangely windy.

It was a strange, late summer day. That was all Kouji could conclude.

A strange, late summer day – almost night. And he _still_ hadn't found Izumi.

He'd checked the school and had a short talk about Takuya's absence the past two days during clean up. He'd checked the park and informed Takuya of his detention after school tomorrow. He'd checked the arcade – almost – and met Junpei and Tomoki outside, only to find out they were _still_ trying to beat the same, stupid game – and then he'd realize Izumi would take no interest in the arcade. He'd called Izumi's mother once more, but she _still_ hadn't come home three hours later. He'd run around half the town, if not more.

And _still_ no Izumi.

It drove him crazy.

"Damn it!" Kouji swore, kicking the ground as he found himself at the bridge again. "Stupid girl!" Halfway across the bridge, he stopped to lean against the railings, and looked down at the water.

Unstained by the rains, it continued to bob up and down peacefully, gently, slowly, showing no sign of moving, showing no sign of stopping. Still as clear as ever. Still as reflective as ever.

Kouji sighed and sank down, peering at the water between the bars of the rails. The last orange from the sun disappeared from the reflective surface of the water, sank onto the grass, until all that was left of the sky was a dark purple that soon began to fade into blue.

He shut his eyes and drew a breath. _When I find her I will_…

His eyes opened and fell on the water again. Night had begun to set in. And reflecting off the lake was the one and only reflection of Izumi.

Izumi.

_When I get down there_, Kouji thought, rising to his feet and continuing to the other side. _When I get down there, she will regret this_…

------------------------------------------------

A/N-

Yey, and we end there! Next chapter might take a while again (and that'll probably be the last chapter, too). I've been getting so little computer time, and Pendulum is written based on how much computer time I have (because all of it is on the computer: the story, the plotting, everything). Plus I still have Misconceptions to update. AHAHAHA. Haha. Sorry.

Izumi felt really awkward to write, not so much at the middle, but at the end of the middle. I wonder if I rushed that…?

Review or Flame.


	5. Hit 2

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Hit 2

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She had been enjoying the cool breeze, letting it brush her hair back as she inhaled deeply. The entire place smelled of wet grass, despite the fact that the grass hadn't been cut yet. Izumi opened her eyes and let the dull orbs fall on the water.

She wasn't brave enough to end her life. Or…not cowardly enough? Either way, she couldn't. Not by water. Not by blood. Not by a noose. Instead, she let herself be tortured, every single day.

_No_.

Izumi shut her eyes again, squeezing them tight.

She wanted to forget it. Forget everything. Forget that her mother had given up her own happiness for her daughter's. Forget that Takuya had heartlessly dumped her. Forget that there was a raven-haired boy who she trusted to be her confidant…

"Get up."

Izumi looked up, shocked. "Kouji –"

"Get up," he repeated angrily, glaring down at her. "Now."

She didn't move.

"Izumi!" he yelled, bending down and seizing her arm. Izumi let out a cry and pulled away, staring at him, confused, angry. Kouji drew a breath and looked to the side, pocketing his hands.

"Fine," he said. "Fine. Just stay here!"

"I…" She drew up her knees, looking uncertainly at the river that gently swayed along.

"_Damn_ it, Izumi! Do you have any idea how _annoying_ this is getting?" he suddenly yelled. His throat was getting more sore as he yelled each word, not caring if the passengers in the cars that passed by heard. "Do you _know_ what a pain you are? You _aren't_ the center of the universe!" He was screaming by now, and he stopped speaking, coughing a bit, rubbing his throat, swallowing.

She was crying now. Desperately fighting not to, but losing the battle, the war. The tears poured out from her eyes, in a steady stream.

Kouji slumped his shoulders, making sure not to meet her eyes. "Look," he murmured, "I _know_ you aren't having the best of times right now." She continued to sob, not speaking up. Kouji to the opportunity to push further forward. "But you _aren't_ realizing that we _all_ have our problems, Izumi. You can't force someone to carry _your_ burden _and_ their own." He tried to sound reasoning, but it came out angry after all.

"I'm…I'm not…" Izumi buried her head in her arms and hiccupped. "I'm not!"

The fatigue he had been trying to ignore was making him snappy now. But he didn't care, as long as his point was made. "Not _what_?" he asked, fighting the annoyance that was dying to reveal itself.

"I'm not burdening _anyone_!" Izumi cried, turning away from him as she continued to cry.

He snapped. Kouji grabbed Izumi and forced her around, forcing her to look up at the piercing glare he sent to her. "You really think that?" he asked in a low voice, wanting to at least control his anger. But his voice rose steadily as he continued, "What do you think I've been doing this all this time, Izumi? Playing catch with Shinya? WHO do you _think_ has been looking for YOU?" he screamed.

She continued crying, her soft sobs echoing throughout the oncoming night, only accompanied by the occasional car whooshing past. Kouji dropped to his knees in front of her with a sigh. He never imagined it would be so hard, so emotionally draining, just to yell at her. And when he thought about it, he thought she would be able to get through this. He was sure of it.

"What happened?" he croaked, rubbing his throat as he looked at her for an answer. "You could just _tell_ me what happened instead of crying and shutting me out." Kouji sighed and stretched out a hand, trying to brush away the blond hairs that had swept forward. "Izumi…"

She swatted away his hand and looking up, staring at him through tear-filled eyes. "No, just stop it!" Izumi said, trying to keep her voice level. It was shaking from the sobs she tried to withhold, from the cries. "Just…stop…acting like you…care!"

"Acting?" he repeated, feeling his blood begin to boil again. "I don't _act_, Izumi. This is _me_. _Kouji_. There's no mask on this face, do you understand?"

"No, I don't! You don't get _anything_ from helping me, Kouji! You'll get a big fat _nothing_!" she screamed, pushing him back. "So just leave!"

"I'm _not_ here for something! I'm here because we're supposed to be _friends_, right?" he growled, catching her hands and restraining them. She yanked her hands back and sent him a glare. "And besides," Kouji added, looking away. "It's not like I'd want anything from _you_."

The awkwardness of the moment took hold, and both fell into a deep silence. Kouji looked up at Izumi again expectantly.

She stared back rudely for a moment before shutting her eyes with a sigh. "Why do you care?" the girl finally asked.

"I already answered that question."

Silence again.

"I could say anything, and you wouldn't tell anyone?" Izumi asked softly, rubbing her wrists.

Kouji shook his head. "Not a soul."

Silence once more.

"He proposed to her, you know," Izumi murmured, staring at the water. "And she refused…just because of me. I don't know whether to be happy or sad." She quickly wiped her eyes and focused her eyes on Kouji. "I'm going back to Italy."

He didn't meet her gaze, and instead focused on the distance between them. Just a foot or two separated them, and yet…

"Go back to Italy if you want," he murmured. All of the sudden, it was difficult to swallow.

"Wh-what?" She must've been surprised that he would give in so willingly, although Kouji didn't see the reason why.

"I said go back to Italy," he told her, meeting her gaze now. He wanted to yell at her, try and bring some sense into her, but he had tried that, hadn't he? It was useless. He could only let her go. "You…left someone important there."

Izumi frowned. "Someone? My dad?" She raised an eyebrow, staring at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

In response, he scowled. "I meant someone important to _me_," he told her, looking away. "See, her name was Izumi –" He winced as she hit his head. "– and she's obviously not here. I'd like to see her again. I want to tell her something."

"What?" Izumi asked immediately. Kouji nearly laughed as he moved beside her.

"I'm not telling some random stranger!" She hit him again. "Okay, okay..." Kouji drew a breath and laid back on the grass. "I'm going to tell her I love her," he told Izumi, looking away. It was slightly embarrassing, but he tried to rationalize it – after all, this was a different Izumi, wasn't it?

Her mind went blank. "Oh...?" She was panicking inside, wondering whether she should accept his love then and there. _I can't_, she told herself, looking away. _He doesn't see me as Izumi_. _And…do I really like him_? More than anything, Izumi wanted to think it over then and there. Instead, she nodded and stood up, wiping her eyes. "Okay."

"So you'll tell her to come back soon?" Kouji asked, looking up at her.

She gave an affirmative nod. "Yes. You won't be telling anyone I'm going to bring her back, will you?" Izumi asked hesitantly.

"Not at all. It'll be our secret. Anyway, you're a complete stranger to me. Why would I tell anyone about you?" He braced himself, expecting a hit, but nothing came. Instead, he looked up at Izumi again, smiling inwardly.

The girl looked at the water with decisive eyes. "Alright, then," she told Kouji. "She might take some time."

He shrugged it off. "I'll wait."

"Will you?" Izumi turned to him sharply, eyes boring into his. "Will you really wait for her?" Her hands were softly clenched by her sides, and Kouji clearly understood why.

But he and Takuya were different.

His expression didn't change as he sat up and looked at her, earnest from start to end.

"I will wait for Izumi no matter how long it takes."

-------------------------(To Equilibrium)-----------------------

A blond girl walked down the road, taking in the crisp autumn air. She stopped at a river bank, staring down at a boy in a black uniform. Hands clasped behind her back, she asked aloud, "Someone told me you had something to tell me?"

Kouji scowled, although he didn't open his eyes. _And I was having such a good nap_, he thought, then snapped out loud, "I don't have anything to tell anyone!"

"Really?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Huh. That's funny. I think I'll go back to Italy, then!"

His eyes opened now, but the frown remained. "How do I know that you are who you _say_ you are?"

"I'm leaving now!" Izumi snapped, frustration revealed. In just two sentences, he had managed to make her snap. Just the thought made her angrier.

There was a scuffling sound, then: "Woah, it's really you?"

Izumi whirled around and prepared to hit him on the head when she realized her hand was too low to be where his head was.

Her eyes lifted only slightly, and she bit her lip. "I...why are so tall, Kouji?" she asked, obviously discomfited by the fact.

"Hey, I'm a boy. And I'm only...a few inches taller. What? One? Two? Fifteen?" he joked.

She let the matter drop and gazed at their feet, inches apart. "So...?"

"So?"

"You wanted to say something." Izumi looked up at him expectantly.

Quickly, the boy looked away and rubbed the back of his head, a faint blush on his cheeks, although he tried to hide it. "Oh. Can I not say it?" he asked.

She looked up sharply, surprised. "What?"

Kouji just scratched the back of his head. The pendulum seemed ready to move again.

"Maybe I shouldn't say it like that?" He gestured towards the river. "Let's sit down," Kouji suggested.

She walked behind him stiffly, then sat down beside him.

"Do you…really want to hear empty words?" he began.

Her heart seemed to tear into two.

"I don't know," Kouji suddenly confessed. "I think words are empty, but Kouichi says they're everything. You know I'm not a vocal person, don't you?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Izumi whispered. Her world seemed so upside down.

Kouji threw his hands up in the air and fell back on the grass. "I can't say I love you. I just...do," he confessed. "It's not something you can just _say_."

Her eyes slowly turned from looking at the river to looking at him. _Kouji_...

"You understand, don't you? Words aren't what count, at least to me. I know that...that might be harder for you than being with someone who blabs unnecessarily, but I can't help it, Izumi." He sighed and brought his arms beside him. "I've been thinking how I might..." He gulped, then sat up, seeing the look in her eyes.

"I-Izumi?"

She moved towards him, hands palm down on the grass, right in front of her knees as she kissed him. Her eyes shut, and she slowly pulled away from him. "I don't care," she finally said, smiling at him. "I love you too. That's all that matters."

The pendulum stopped. Perhaps only for that moment, but that moment counted for eternity. Izumi sighed and fell back on the grass, sprawling out. "I love Autumn..."

He smiled and lay down beside her. "Yeah," he agreed, lacing his fingers to cradle his head from the ground. "Autumn's nice. But I like Spring better."

"Autumn."

"Spring."

"Autumn."

"Spring."

"Autumn."

"Spring."

"Autumn."

"Spring."

"Autumn."

"Hey, we're having our first fight already!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"We're totally compatible."

Izumi let out a growl. "KOUJI!"

"Wait till I tell everyone." He burst out into laughter.

Izumi sat up, red-faced. "Forget you! I hate you, Minamoto Kouji!"

He sat up, alarmed. "You're dumping me already?" he exclaimed.

"I might as well!" Izumi snapped, standing up starting to head home.

The pendulum kept its place.

Kouji scrambled to his feet and dashed after her. "Wait! That's not fair! Come on! Izumi!"

She stopped when he caught her arm. Her head was bent low so he couldn't see her expression as he moved in front of her, his hands falling on her shoulders.

"I-Izumi...?"

"I..."

Kouji swallowed, looking nervous.

The pendulum wouldn't move again. She had a feeling.

"I got you!" Izumi exclaimed, looking up at him and laughing. "You looked so funny, Kouji, you should have-"

His lips covered hers, silencing her. Izumi's eyes slipped shut. Kouji pulled away and drew her into his arms.

No words were spoken, but she knew.

"Thank you, Kouji," Izumi murmured. "For waiting. For taking care of me. For everything."

"Don't say your 'thank you's yet," he murmured, letting her go and looked up at the sky. "We've still got a long way to go."

The pendulum was now in a warm box that promised to keep it safe. It couldn't swing from side to side anymore.

She was safe with him.

She always would be.

_-End-_

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A/N-

YES! Another story finished! (I'm horrible, I know).

I actually had the ending finished a day or two after I started the story. I sat down and thought, "I do NOT want this to be like Misconceptions. It CANNOT be a mess." And then I opened a notepad and started typing like crazy, planning as much as possible – what they would say, what they would do…only Izumi didn't flirt with Takuya as I thought she would.

Nevertheless, I definitely rushed this chapter (it's so short). Sorry? (I really wanted to get it out of the way. Yes, I'm horrible).

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! I hope you liked the ending (It's cliché and boring and stuff, but myeh). Thanks to: **A.R. Kennedy, LambSam, koyuki kimura, TrialAndError123456, Syra Dylan, Yarrie**

Your reviews were fun to read (and quite informative, too)!

-_K_


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